Collapsed bridge on track to reopen next week

Collapsed bridge on track to reopen next week

SEATTLE — Washington State Department of Transportation said that work on the collapsed Skagit River bridge is moving along as planned and the bridge is on track to reopen in mid-June.

WSDOT said that crews having been working on the replacement bridge throughout the weekend and finished pouring concrete along with construction of the steel framework on one of the two temporary spans. Monday, crews pushed the first of two temporary sections across the gap in the bridge and will spend the “next several days positioning the span over the new concrete supports.”

Debris from the collapse of the bridge had to be removed from the Skagit River and new concrete pedestals built to support the temporary bridge — in addition to repairs on portions of the bridge that didn’t collapse — had to be completed before crews could begin working on the temporary spans. Once the first span is complete, crews will then be able to begin work on the second span.

“Getting to this point hasn’t been easy,” Jay Drye, WSDOT assistant regional administrator, said. “Each step of removing and replacing the damaged bridge span has to be carefully choreographed to maximize efficiency, speed and safety.”